I bet there are lots of people who like lying on sandy beaches, sunbathing all day long and taking occasional baths in the sea. I’ve also seen in previous posts that some of us prefer sight-seeing trips with a fixed plan for it.
The way me and my fiancée go for it is a short self-organised trip - sometimes a bit unpredictable.
I want to present you one of our trips along with the research process which was behind it. So far we haven’t had too many of these trips, but I hope we will find time and money to do it more often. Our destination was Budapest, Hungary.
The first
thing we did was search for the cheapest tickets available at http://www.tanie-loty.com.pl/. We
didn’t really care about the time of the flight because the trip was meant to
be spontaneous and short – 4 days . It turned out that Wizzair, a Hungarian
airline, offered the best price.
The second
thing we did was to find a fairly cheap, cosy one-bedroom apartment which would
let us have our privacy – we don’t like overcrowded hostels. The one below was
the best choice between expensive hotels and cheap hostels.
It turned
out to be a nicely equipped, modern apartment. It was also located in the heart
of the old town so that the most beautiful parts of Budapest were at our hand.
The fight
itself took around 70 minutes, but after arrival at the Budapest airport, we
had to be prepared to almost double that with one hour trip to the city centre.
The airport was around 20-something kilometres away from the underground station nearby our apartment. Below you can
see the live google feed of connections
available right now.
I’m going
to tell you about just a few characteristic places which are worth mentioning.
If you hate guidebooks you can simply walk around this city and admire its size
and monumental buildings. Simply saying Budapest looks like a Gotham City – it
is dark, dirty and buildings are huge and scary. In comparison to Warsaw,
Budapest looks like so-called MDM buildings along Marszałkowska Street.
Some of
them are in bad condition, just look at
Deák Ferenc tér.
Really
beautiful but extremely dirty and run down. You get this sad impression often
when you see buildings there. We were wondering if Budapest has anything like
our municipal department of sanitation. Forcing ourselves to hang on to
anything in a subway was quite a challenge!
Our
sightseeing started from the Buda side and we went through a few of the most
frequently pictured places of this city. First one was the Chain Bridge.
The Castle
and a large part of the old town and is placed on the hill.
_005.jpg/800px-River_Beatrice_(ship,_2007)_005.jpg)
You can get
there by the Budapest Castle Hill Funicular.
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Budapest-castle-hill-funicular.jpg/450px-Budapest-castle-hill-funicular.jpg
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Budapest-castle-hill-funicular.jpg/450px-Budapest-castle-hill-funicular.jpg
One way
adult ticket was 1000 HUF. For us a thousand was like “whoa”, quite big
overkill for only “a few” steps up as an alternative :) Walking
up was actually fun and gave us some time to admire the view and take some
pictures of the Chain Bridge and the Parliament on the Pest side.
When you’re
there, you will find one of the most beautiful and well preserved castles in
Europe, which unfortunately has a really poor history museum inside – what a
shame! What is really worth seeing up there is Halászbástya (Fisherman's
Bastion).
It is
picturesque, and so it is the view on the Pest side. There we took our best
“selfie” from that trip!
The second
place that we found really interesting was Hősök tere (Heroes Square), which is
a square surrounded by monumental statues.
It was only
a prelude to the main attraction to this part of the city. One can stare and
stare at these wonderful statues for minutes, but if you slightly move your head
to the right, you will see something incredible - the Adams' house – how the hell did it get there?
It reveals
as agriculture museum in Vajdahunyad Castle and is surrounded by a large park
with small lakes , what makes this area ideal for summer visits. Since we were
there in January, the temperature was low and we had to find a place to warm
ourselves. We were spontaneously wondering around the park just to find a
Circus!
My fiancée
made me go inside and buy tickets for the upcoming show. The circus was
overcrowded with people and we bought two of the few last places and went to
the show! It was really amazing! Apart from acrobats, elephants, lions and
parrots we have also witnessed a proposal and the woman said yes.
I bet this
place was an inspiration for Jazmine Sulivan in her great song Lions, Tigers
and Bears ;)
We spent
our last night in Otkert club. It is considered the most popular music club.
Entrance
ticket was quite expensive so we went
there earlier not to pay for it. thanks to this fact we could observe how this famous place functions.
Until 11 pm the whole place serves as a huge, crowded restaurant with trees
growing inside the backyard.
When it is
getting close to the midnight the place slowly changes into a nightclub with a
dance floor under the tent-like roof, which in warm months is constantly open.
We partied all night and spent there all of the money we tried to save during
this trip. In the morning our wallets were empty, but the feeling was
unforgettable.
It was a
nice goodbye to our Budapest trip. I would also recommend taking a night walk
along the river bank to see illuminated buildings at night.
Source: http://www.city-data.com/forum/pittsburgh/2030533-pittsburgh-san-francisco-east.html
What is your recipe for a great trip?
What is your recipe for a great trip?
Paweł, thank you for your presentation! Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen! I've been there 5 times and every time I go back I am more and more charmed with it! Reading you text reminded me all the greatest moments I spent there. I would like to repeat what I wrote on the occasion of another presentation:
ReplyDeleteI felt love for this city when I landed in Budapest for the first time! There is no particular district that is worth seeing more than the others! The whole city is magical, every corner of a beautiful Pest or majestic Buda with it's splendid castle appeals to me! There is no time for boredom in Budapest - if you like visiting museums, antic churches, there is plenty of them, if your prefer sedentary way of visiting - go and enjoy your day in one of the harmful cafes at Vaci Street. If you are fond of walking - just walk and admire old tenement houses which make Budapest enchanting and climatic site, something that is unattainable in Warsaw (due to the fact it was destroyed during WW II). And there is more - great zoo worth visiting, awesome fun not only for children but for the parents as well. You care for your look or lead a healthy life style, for example by jogging- nothing more simple - Margaret Island or Municipal Park, both offer lot of space for runners, roller-skaters or bikers! But something that gives me the biggest pleasure while I am in Budapest is a long stay in warm waters of Szechenyi baths - an old complex of baths and pools, containing healing waters of different temperatures. For me the capital city of Hungary can be describe with only one word: incredible!
Budapest is certainly a magical city. We stayed just next to the Vaci Street, and we also saw some weird aspects of it like really original men's clothing:
Deletehttps://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1.0-9/63580_4615995332280_1789988070_n.jpg
I think it may not unique to Budapest but I found it very amusing.
I was in Budapest once and only for one day. I have to admit that the city is beautiful! Especially during the night it was very impressive. I'm trying to go back there to see more and have a chance to explore the city and feel the atmosphere but always there is "something". When I want to plan a trip to Budapest, my firends have a lot more ideas and finally we can't reach this direction. Maybe someday I will plan a trip on my own and finally will visit this wonderful city.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of Hungarian language - it is very pleasant to hear when people are speaking in this language. I also believe it is very difficult language.
I feel like I was here with you! Such a detailed description! :)
ReplyDeleteI was in Budapest once when coming back form a student-trip to Macedonia. After Macedonia it was just a few-hours stop in a usual European city... but I remember the Chain Bridge from your picture (somebody was climbing it at the time..! do you happen to know is that common?) and the Castle near the river.
We only had few hours so we went shopping. The thing I remember the most was big market made inside spectacular building – not sure if my memory is correct, but previously it was probably a railway station. The market was full of various spices, salami, chili and wine... From your article I can se however that’s there is much more to see in Budapest. I liked Fisherman's Bastion, would like to see it (in reality) one day.
I didn't noticed anyone who was about to climb on the Chain bridge at the time when we were crossing it. As you've noticed, we were traveling without any guides so I can't tell if that is some local custom to climb on it. When it comes to Fishermans's Bastion, it looks a bit worse than on the picture above, from a perspective of a pedestrian walking around the hill. We were looking at it most of the time from the other side, but it is still adorable. Besides there is Hilton hotel jsut next to it, so there is really good contrast between now and then :)
DeleteDear Pawel, thank you for the great presentation - really I felt like being there :)
ReplyDeleteI like this short view on Budapest specially that in May we plan to go to Croatia, and wanted to visit Budapest on our way to Split. I'll use your tips to prepare our site seeing tour. :D
I have to say that I really enjoyed that presentation: simple and to the point, I respect people who put a lot of effort into preparation of their trip (and presentation as well). To answer your question about mine preparations:
ReplyDelete- I prefer hostelworld.com and budgetplaces.com rather than booking.com, because I find their prices slightly lower than the last one mentioned. Trivago.pl is a nice option as well, sometimes they have an offer, which can't be found on the first two sites.
- I'm also looking for budget flights (especially on esky.pl and kayak.pl), because I like to spend more in the city rather than on plane.
- and as for planning my trip... I always put a lot of effort into this, take a look on my plan about London and Amsterdam (I also have one about Madrid and Paris if someone is interested. And I'm going to write about Rome and Barcelona as well soon.)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7KpZ4muf5ixZWRuQjNtNlhaSXc/edit?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7KpZ4muf5ixc1lqaDRFOXo3cFU/edit?usp=sharing
going to Amsterdam end of the month, few interesting tips in your plan , thanks for sharing !
DeleteVnice description. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I never been (yet) to Budapest it reminded me a bit of Vienna. Maybe for a reason those two countries once been a powerful empire.
It happened that one of my colleagues at work is Hungarian, moreover, from Budapest. And he's keep saying Warsaw is better for living than Budapest, however he's also pointing out that for partying Hungarian capital is among the best in Europe.
On a practical side of things, for accommodation searching you may try service called: https://www.airbnb.com
It is especially helpful when you need to find a place to stay for a group of friends.
Daniel, I felt the same - Budapest architecture strongly resembles Vienna's. I haven't been to Budapest yet, but I will surely get there someday, as I loved Vienna. And everything is much cheaper in Hungary! :)
DeleteI haven't been in Budapest yet, but definitely someday I will visit this beautiful European capital with rich architecture and one of the most interesting history which is reflected in the culture of Hungarians. I am impressed by your photos which showed almost all the charm of Budapest - beautiful castles, bridges, streets.
ReplyDeleteOne of the photos which shows a amazing view of the city, in particular, caught my attention.I have to admit that, thanks to your effort involved in the creation of this presentation, you encouraged me on a trip to Budapest.
Thanks a lot!
I've never been in Budapest but reading the description it seems to I visited there with you. I was convinced to visit this city. I`m sure to see Budapest this summer.
ReplyDeleteI also living in cheap hostels when i`m traveling. And like you I am looking for accommodation by page http://www.booking.com/ - there will always be something at a good price and you don`t have too much look ;)
A fully agree that booking.com is one of the most effective, fast and pleasant ways of searching for accommodation. In order to save more money I often look for so called secret deals. If you haven't heard about them, there's a link with an instruction how to do that:
ReplyDeletehttp://hotelsrooms.blogspot.com/2012/08/bookingcom-secret-deals.html
If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend a visit to Gelarto Rosa (near St. Stephen's Basilica).
ReplyDeleteThey have delicious ice cream of many intersting flavours, served roses-shaped.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBaPnWrKD2lieT6Kt_GNNliRR-sFFbzsRdxeILVcZJxapQxqudZA
nice ice-cream:)
DeleteI had the opportunity to see Budapest only passing towards the south of Europe, which gave me rather weak view of the city. Warsaw reminded me a little, but it was just me. Reading your presentation, I think this is the place that I like because of the interesting, old buildings and nice atmosphere. And of course, the Hungarian language always makes me laugh :) I’m pleasantly surprised by the useful links related to flights and bookings in presentation and comments. Thanks for it! I will take it. And the question... Primarily, I’m looking for the interesting attractions and events in guidebooks. Planning with guidebook is a good solution. Later, you can use your time on holiday in one hundred percent.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to Budapest. But due to your presentation I know that I must visit this city.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I will go to Budapest next holiday because this holiday I'm going to the Polish mountains.
The photo from the presentation is very interesting and nice.
The things I like the most are Chain Bridge and Adams' house.
I think that my girlfriend will enjoy the idea about going to Budapest next holiday.
I will try to use your advice concerning our trip.
Two years ago I was in Karpacz on holiday.
I recommend this city to people who like walking in the mountains.
I have never been to Budapest either, but I plan to go there next summer as everybody is talking about it. It became so popular that it’s inappropriate not to go there at least once. I’ve heard that this popularity caused increase in prices.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that you can shorten your long urls with Shortest and receive money from every visitor to your short links.
ReplyDelete